Black Escape

by C. J. Thomas

  Blood rushed hot between my ears.

  Drake didn’t react. Instead, I watched him flank the table, taking cover next to Agent McGurk as I began shooting him with my words. “You,” I growled, finally caring about my future more than I had for days. “This asshole works for Madam.” Pointing at Drake, my heart beat so fast I thought it would explode. Then I turned back to him, barking, “You did nothing when they tortured me.”

  Drake lowered himself into his seat, staring with closed lips.

  “I believed you. So did Giselle. Instead, you deceived us like the conniving snake you are.”

  He blinked and waited for me to stop.

  Kicking my chair back, I stood and leaped across the table, lunging for him. I had one fist in his shirt by the time the guards rushed me. Pulling me back across the table, they took my arms behind my back, restraining my aggression as I fumed. “Fuck you, asshole. Because of you, I was raped!”

  Drake held up his palm.

  The balls of my feet fell back to the floor and, as soon as I was let go, I pulled down my shoulders to show off my bruises from my stay at Echo. “This is what you did.”

  Agent McGurk’s face wrinkled with hidden sympathy. “Kendra, this is Agent Drake Smith.”

  “No.” My brows pulled together. “No. That’s Drake Goodman. He’s in advertising and is the man dating Giselle.” I flung my hair over my shoulders as I shook my head. “The man who fooled us all into believing we could trust him.”

  Bringing his elbows to the table, Agent Goodman-Smith asked, “How are you holding up?”

  “No.” My scream faded with feelings of disbelief. “You don’t get to ask me that. You don’t get to be the hero.” I balled my hands into tight fists that wanted to beat against his broad chest. “Not after offering your help and then doing nothing when I needed you most.”

  “I’m sorry, Kendra. I really am. If I could have done more, I would have.”

  Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes as I flicked my gaze to Agent McGurk.

  “I was hoping to get to you sooner.”

  My legs crumbled beneath me. Falling into my chair, my spine collapsed with my body. “But you didn’t.” I wasn’t even sure I could believe he was one of the good guys.

  “No, I didn’t.” He looked to Agent McGurk. “We didn’t.”

  McGurk tipped forward. “But we’re glad that Agent Smith was able to find you before Madam had you killed.”

  I felt my veins thicken in my arms with each pulse of my beating heart. I knew Madam would have killed me. She didn’t need me. She and Oscar had—I flicked my eyes back up to Drake—him. He took the files Kelly risked his career for and did what with them?

  With a confident face and even tone Drake said, “That was what Madam was going to do. Kill you.”

  I swallowed my lips and wiped my cheeks dry. The tears continued to stream down my face as I thought I might not be physically dead, but they’d already killed me. Madam and Oscar buried the woman I once was and I wasn’t sure that I would ever get her back. Wrapping my arms around my quivering stomach, I squeezed my body as hard as I could. “I wished they would.”

  McGurk folded her hands on top of the table. “You were given a second chance.”

  Thinking of how difficult my time with Kelly had been because of Madam and Oscar, I said, “Do you know what it’s like to have to tell the man you love that the district attorney raped you?”

  McGurk glanced to Smith.

  “I can’t make love to him.” My voice cracked and threatened to split my insides in two. “Not after what Oscar did to me.”

  Opening a file, Drake pulled out a detailed sheet. “He didn’t rape you, Kendra.”

  My face twisted as my head tilted.

  “It was entirely psychological. Mind games to make you think he did in order to finally make you submit.”

  I felt my lungs squeeze as my breaths quickened. Tightening my grasp on my waist, I was close to vomiting. “But I know what I felt. Madam even made me shower before I left to make a rape kit invalid.”

  Drake turned the sheet to face me. Sliding it across the table, I leaned forward until my chest pressed against the table ledge. Reading the lines of text, I asked, “How can you be so sure?”

  “We had surveillance on you the entire time,” McGurk said. “We saw and heard everything, beginning with your kidnapping at Tonya’s funeral.”

  “Besides,” Drake pointed to a line-item halfway down the page, “Oscar is impotent.”

  From behind a curtain of lashes, I said, “You can’t share his medical records with me.”

  “It’s over, Kendra. We’ve had our eye on you for a long time…”

  Rocking in my seat, I said, “Did Alex… did she…”

  “She helped us answer some questions we had,” McGurk chimed in. “But, no, she had nothing to do with us nabbing you tonight.”

  Falling back into my seat, Drake began laying out dozens of photos in front of me. Spreading them across the table, he explained what criminal indictments might be brought against me and the grim future I was facing.

  “All this time I was seeing my picture being taken, it was you?”

  Drake stood and walked to the glass. He knocked on it and, a second later, Rob Jones entered the room. “Our photographer,” Drake said. “FBI Agent Jones.”

  Staring at Jones, I flicked my gaze to Drake. They knew everything. Had been along for the ride since my rebirth with Madam. There was no way I was getting out of this—no story I could tell to make them doubt the facts they’d just laid out before me. I was part of their investigation.

  “You betrayed Giselle.” I tucked my hair behind my ear, staring at Drake. “She’s devastated.”

  “Unfortunately, there wasn’t any way around what I did without the risk of blowing my cover,” he said.

  “Look, Kendra,” Jones crossed his arms, leaning against the wall, “fact is, you’re in big trouble.”

  Dropping my gaze to the table, I began sorting the photos, looking for Sylvia. As her face never came up, the more frantic my search became. “Where is Sylvia Neil? Why don’t I see her in any of the photos? She needs to be here. She stole Madam’s money and is as involved as I am.”

  “The money you were laundering,” Jones reminded me.

  My gaze darted between them. “You have her?” Their faces told me they did. “What do you want from me? I’ve already admitted to you everything I know.”

  “We want you to help us, Kendra.” McGurk stared at me with a friendly face.

  “You’re looking at some serious prison time,” Jones said. “Not to mention the hole you’ve dug for your boyfriend, too. If you cooperate, we can help.”

  My heart stopped. Everything froze. Even the air I breathed fell stagnant when my thoughts drifted to Kelly and how I’d left him on the side of the road to wonder what would become of me.

  “It’s up to you,” Drake reassured me, bringing the file he’d taken from Giselle to the table. “You know what this is?”

  Staring at the small flash-drive, I murmured, “I think so.”

  “It’s what Madam asked you to get from Mr. Black. She doesn’t have it. Still wants it. And we need you to give it to her.”

  Staring at the busy table, seeing the case they were making, I said, “But you already have the case made. Why do you need this? I’m sure you can get the conviction you need.”

  “We have plenty of evidence on Madam, however, we need one more solid piece of evidence to connect her to Oscar Buchanan.”

  Holding up the memory stick, I said, “And this will get them both?”

  “We believe so.” McGurk nodded.

  “If I do this for you, what happens to Kelly afterward? I can’t let anything bad happen to him.”

  “It’s time you to start focusing on yourself,” Jones said. Shaking my head, he continued, “Kelly is facing an equally challenging future as yourself. The best you can do is help us out and later convince Kelly to cooperate when the time co
mes to bring him in.”

  “I’ll do it with two conditions. Immunity.”

  McGurk looked to Jones. He gave her a curt nod. “We can work that out,” she said.

  “In writing. Before I leave tonight.”

  “Okay,” Smith agreed.

  “And, secondly, I want the same for Kelly.”

  “He’ll have to work his own deal.” Jones pushed off the wall and looked into the mirror.

  “If he cooperates,” McGurk said, “he’ll receive a fair offer. That’s all I can promise.”

  The room fell silent as I thought my future over. Landing my gaze on Drake, I said, “Then at least give me tonight to be with him.”

  49

  Kelly

  The wall of liquor bottles stared back as O’Brien’s last words rang between my ears.

  If this backfires, I’m not only out of a job, but a dead man, too.

  No matter how hard I tried to stay positive about this, I knew the risk was grave. Too many people had died at the hands of Madam already, and I didn’t need another one to join the group that persistently haunted me.

  I didn’t have anywhere to go so I stayed, drinking cranberry juice and letting the minutes slip into hours. If I went to my main residence, the memories would only do more harm than good. And, without Kendra, I didn’t want to be at my penthouse. It was best we kept it the way it was until a lab could get in there and link Fletcher to the break-in.

  Soon, it was only me and a few late-nighters choosing to hang around the bar until close. When my cell started to ring, I glanced to the display to see it was Kendra.

  Adrenaline spiked my body awake. I was quick to answer. “Bella, my god, where are you?”

  “Kelly,” her calm voice closed my eyes, “I’ve booked a room at a hotel.”

  “Are you alone?”

  “For now.”

  I stopped breathing, trying to stop reading into what each of her words meant, wondering if she had it in her to forgive me for not acting to protect her earlier.

  “I was hoping I could see you?”

  Feeling my chest expand, I tipped my head back and smiled. “I’ve been so worried.”

  The line fell silent. We listened to each other breathe for a minute before she said, “Will you come?”

  “In a heartbeat.”

  Kendra told me where she was staying and I was getting into my car a minute later. I knew the area and, as I drove, I was eager to get her into my arms as fast as I could. The agony of not knowing where she had been this evening grinded my nails on chalkboard. It had been the roughest few hours but, now that I knew she was okay, I found my insides stitching themselves back together.

  I turned the corner and saw the hotel sign shining bright against the stealth black backdrop. My brows pulled together, suspicious of how close it was to Madam’s building. It couldn’t be coincidence and that alone had me cautious, suddenly back on edge.

  By the time I was parked and walking inside, Kendra was already waiting. Sitting beneath the front entrance light, her heels drummed against the stone wall, not noticing my arrival.

  “Bella.” She picked up her head, stood, and I ran into her arms. Clenching my fingers deep into her waist, our eyes swayed with the light’s reflection sparkling back. Without warning, Kendra leaped off the ground, wrapping her hands around my neck. She squeezed me tight as I spun her around.

  “I missed you so much.” Kendra’s kind words swirled into my ear.

  “Me, too.”

  She squeezed me one last time before dropping her feet back to the ground.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, immediately lifting her exposed arms, inspecting her body for new marks. Her limp muscles were forgiving and suddenly she felt fragile. She looked so beautifully put together in a flowing black dress with her hair tied back into a long braid. Her doe eyes watered as she locked her gaze on me. I didn’t know if they were tears of joy or feelings of pain that never seemed to disappear. Her head hit my chest and I wrapped her up in my arms once again. Staring ahead, my heart overflowed with sudden joy.

  “I’m sorry, Kelly.” She lifted her head and locked her gaze on mine. “What I said earlier… I shouldn’t have.”

  Palming the back of her head with one hand, I held her hand with the other. “I let you down.”

  “No, you didn’t.” She cleared her throat and pulled her spine straight. “You played it smart. Did what you had to do to survive. It’s what I would have done, too, if I’d been in your position. I was the dumb one for running away from you.”

  I shushed her quiet. “Don’t say that. You’re so smart.”

  “I don’t always make the right decision.”

  “Like choosing to stay at a hotel only blocks away from Madam’s?” I teased.

  She giggled. “Where better to hide than in plain sight.”

  “See?” She quirked a brow. “Smart.” I gently tugged on a thick lock of hair. “But there is something I need to know.”

  Her smile faded and the glimmer of fear was back, burning in her pupils.

  “Where is my gun?”

  Her brow furrowed. “I shouldn’t have.”

  I cocked my head to the side. “Where is it, Kendra?”

  She blinked, staring into my eyes as if debating whether to tell me the truth or not. “We don’t need it anymore.”

  I inhaled a deep breath before blowing it out my nose. Maybe she was right. So far, it had only brought us trouble, and the closest it had ever come to killing someone was myself. “I spoke with detective O’Brien again.”

  Kendra’s eyebrows perked up.

  “He had the video files from my penthouse.”

  “Did you see who broke into your house?”

  “Another detective.” My gut clenched. “Matt Fletcher.”

  Kendra’s hand flung over her mouth.

  I nodded. “He’s clearly working with Oscar.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “It’s not up to me anymore,” I said, electing to leave it at that. It wasn’t worth the potential fallout between us. My decision was final and all I wanted, more than anything, was to spend tonight wrapped in the arms of the woman I loved. “How about you show me your room?”

  She glanced at me with curling lips. “It’s nothing fancy, but it does have a bed.”

  I took her hand as she threaded her fingers with mine. Clamping her opposite hand into the crook of my arm, she guided me through the front lobby, up the elevator, and into her small hotel bedroom.

  The door closed and Kendra pushed my shoulders up against it. Pressing her soft lips against mine, my blood rushed to my groin. Ironing my hands down her slender arms, I murmured, “I don’t want to do anything you don’t want to do.”

  She bit the edge of her lip and gave me a coy look. “Shut up and kiss me.”

  50

  Kendra

  My hand lifted to his face. I felt his jaw twitch against my palm.

  Staring into his gorgeous eyes, I watched them lighten with renewed concern.

  I wished I could tell him that what I thought had happened to me wasn’t true. He deserved to hear it. Kelly needed to know I hadn’t been ruined in the way I thought I had. But I was at a loss for words on how to explain it without upsetting him more.

  Crawling my fingers down his chest I worked his buttons free, opening his shirt.

  I couldn’t think about how cold and unresponsive I was to his touch only yesterday. That wasn’t us. Didn’t portray the feelings I had for him. I needed him inside of me—needed to be reminded that no matter what happened tomorrow, we at least had tonight.

  “Kiss me, Counselor.”

  He lowered his head so slowly time seemed to stop.

  My heart fluttered inside my chest, excitement building for the sparks about to explode. Pushing my hand through his hair, I pulled him down the rest of the way and parted my lips just enough to welcome his tongue inside my mouth.

  Kelly’s tongue darted against mine. His grasp, far weake
r than I preferred. Tonight wasn’t only about me. I knew Kelly had his own problems to sort through. Despite knowing that I needed the sex to be rough to get off, I was willing to go at whatever pace Kelly set.

  Nudging my tongue deeper into his mouth, I closed my eyes and felt the heat bloom across my chest. His hands smoothed down my sides, pushed over the flair of my hips before filling with the fleshy part of my ass. Lifting my leg, I pressed my heated mound against his hardness. He groaned, deepening our kiss.

  “It’s okay, Kelly. You can touch me.” I placed his right hand on my left breast. His eyes flickered with hesitation as his hand hovered over my boob. Arching my back, I stared into his deepened gaze, nodding.

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t,” I said in a confident tone that couldn’t be doubted. Though my body was still healing, I needed this to happen. It might be our only shot before Kelly was taken away. There weren’t any guarantees. I still had one last task to complete before I could be sure to live my life free from worry.

  The moment Kelly’s palm squeezed my breast, I gasped. Diving my hands to his belt, I unbuckled it before opening his pants and pulling down the zipper. Wedging my hand into his underwear, I closed my fingers around his pulsing shaft. It was hot against the touch, throbbing with life and spectacularly hard.

  He yanked me harder against his thigh. As soon as I heard his breaths quicken, I watched his eyelids flutter. The faster I pumped, the more ragged his breathing became. And when I felt his abs clench, I knew I had him coming.

  His hot seed filled his pants and dribbled down the back of my hand.

  His parted lips fell to my neck and I listened to the strong man fill his lungs and look to be held. As soon as I felt him soften, Kelly tugged my hand free and guided me back to the bed. Falling backward, I hit the bed with a yelp of laughter.

  Kelly grinned as he stripped out of his shirt. He dropped his pants and stepped out of his underwear. His cock was thick with heat, hanging impressively large between his muscular thighs. Without a thought, I raked over him, appreciating the sculpture his body was as if looking at it for the very first time.